Knights of the Abyss was started when Andy Rysdam left Job For A Cowboy in 2005 to start a band with some friends. The band released JUGGERNAUT in 2007 and followed it up with SHADES in 2008. However, between 2007 and 2008, all but one of the founding members left the band leaving only guitarist Nick Florence as an original member.

Although Knights of the Abyss is billed as a deathcore band, they sound closer to a band like The Black Dahlia Murder, as they employ far greater use of the melodic death/Gothenburg style than is normal. In fact, there is very little of the stereotypical dissonant riffing that you get from any band between Trigger the Bloodshed to The Red Chord.

Approaching this album with an open mind, it’s not bad at all. It’s well-executed and pretty well-written melodic death metal with lashings of hardcore and deathcore, and some of the songs are compellingly headbangable. The’-core’ bit is refreshingly kept to a minimum, and they show remarkable restraint in dropping unnecessary breakdowns. This is actually great driving music, with nothing too obscure or inaccessible – just wind the windows down and piss off the people stuck next to you in the traffic jam.

A minor complaint is that the songs don’t differentiate themselves on repeated listens, and singer Dustin Hadlock is especially guilty of this, but if you’re in the mood for some melodeath/deathcore that is well-performed and that doesn’t outstay its welcome, stick Knights of the Abyss on Party Mix in ITunes and let them rip!